The Fear of Leading

As part of an aspiring head programme, I have been keeping a journal of my learning. This post is part of a series based on my observations.
I have been teaching for a relatively short time (6 years) but I have found that volunteering for things and being keen to learn more can quickly give you more whole school responsibility and set you apart. Many teachers are happy in their work, teaching their class and leading a subject.
Already, there is a conflict; leading.
How many subjects at your school are being led? Often in schools, everyone is aware of the key issues or which subjects are in need of a revamp but what happens?

Key issues are often uncomfortable and could take a long time to revolutionise a whole school approach. As a result, issues are managed and monitored but with no real improvement, just a list of things to improve. Why is leading so hard?
A quick look on Twitter will show you that education is awash with leaders. Teachers all over the Twitter-sphere are constantly changing their ideas, practice and more importantly sharing these with others.
Teachers are famously modest and find it difficult to take criticism or praise so leading is taking a risk. One of the things we ask children to do regularly.
I think leading is difficult for several reasons:
- Time, leading needs time to reflect, plan and improve, especially when you have to manage at the same time.
- Believing in your own ideas. You need to convince yourself before convincing others. Pilots and action research projects are important but need to be credible.
- Standing Out. Change can cause lots of extra work and other staff may be happy following the old system, especially if their workload is unaffected. Convincing people then becomes even harder.
- Other Initiatives. Some things are just easier, instantly get agreed and then are introduced. These may be improvements but could mask the real development issues a school faces.
Across education there are many leaders but should they be managers? Does the subject simply tick over or are you being challenged to reflect upon practices and raise standards?